Crimean Tatars restart work at the site planned for a Soborna [Assembly] Mosque in Simferopol

On Sunday 23 November around 250 people took part in constructing a fence around the land on Yaltynska St (over 2.5 hectares) where it is hoped that the Mosque Dzhuma-Dzhami will stand. Among those involved were representatives of the Mufti and the leaders of the Mejilis of the Crimean Tatars. The fence, a metre high, is made up of the stone gathered since 12 February when Crimean Tatars launched an initiative to gather stones for the building. They called on Muslims and other residents of the Crimea to bring one stone each

According to Refat Chubarov, Deputy Head of the Mejilis: “The boundaries of the land site have already been added to the land cadastre, and yet they don’t give us a permit. We therefore marked out the boundaries of the fence from the stone which we gathered and will later go on to other work to facilitate the building of the Soborna Mosque.”

As already reported here, the struggle to gain land for this Mosque has been continuing for many years. 

In 2004 the Spiritual Directorate submitted all applications and documents for permission to build on Yaltynska St, this entailing considerable expense and effort.  At that time the Simferopol City Council gave permission to build the Soborna Mosque, yet on 10 January this year, it took the decision to change the location, allocating a different site.

The Crimean Prosecutor registered a protest in support of the Spiritual Directorate’s claim for the site on Yaltynska St. 

On 7 February the Crimean Economic Court ordered the Simferopol City Council to conclude a lease agreement within ten days with the Spiritual Directorate of the Muslims of the Crimea for the landsite on Yaltynska St.  This ruling has now come into effect, yet the delay tactics continue.